There's probably four rules for taking a poo at work and five rules for tap-dancing at funerals, for all I know. In fact any job, pastime or bodily function, can probably be broken down in to a list of key guidelines. But what of our beloved pharma advertising? Can we break down the myriad of brands, disease awareness and internal comms in to a simple list of 11 briefs? Well, I reckon it's worth a shot, dammit. You're welcome.
The Groundhog day principle.
Harold Ramis wrote, but ultimately left out the part of the ex-girlfriend who cast the spell on Bill Murray's character, meaning that he was sentenced to re-live the same day over and over
What clients should look for in pitch creative.
Creative work in pharma can't win a pitch, but it can lose one. So how should clients judge work that might never run anyway?
Elvis was an idea.
Elvis was the ultimate concept.
The redundant blog.
Sooner or later every one gets made redundant in this business. What strategies can you employ beyond going freelance?
Some opinions on opinions.
everyone has an opinion, who do you listen to?
How to get a creative job in advertising. 1980’s vs 2020’s.
Recently I was asked if I would give some advice to a friend of a young colleague on how to get into advertising, specifically as a creative. It occurred to me that I am not sure I know how anymore, so I said the best person to talk to was our junior art director, Ellie. Then I... Continue Reading →
Marathons versus sprints.
How do you feel about the gamification of creativity? You know: All night work-a-thons. Two day hack-a-thons. "Let's have a creative sprint!" "You mean doing the work in a really short space of time?" "Yeah but if we call it a 'Sprint' we can sell it as a thing!" Maybe I've just had my share... Continue Reading →
Judgement day
For those of you who've sat on the PM society jury in the past you'll recall a big drafty room at the BMA in Russell Square and two days out of the office, walking round a room peering at rounds and rounds of cardboard. This year, like many awards shows, most of the judging took... Continue Reading →
The Artificially Intelligent guide to the new Agency model.
Over the last few months we've heard a lot of exciting news about agencies and clients reinventing the 'advertising agency model'. Not the whole agency, obviously, just the interesting part with all the tattooed beardy men and purple haired women. Because you see, Creative departments simply weren't working before. What? you hadn't noticed? That's why... Continue Reading →